“I got the call [from David Moyes] when I was in Turkey doing my coaching badges,” he told Inside United. “My initial thoughts were about how it would affect the playing side of things because I was obviously preparing to play for another year.

“I spoke to a few people and had a think about it and I could only see plus points; I couldn’t see any minuses. It’s an exciting chance for me and one that I couldn’t turn down.

“I’ve always concentrated on playing but I’ve been doing my badges at the same time. It’s been tough at times because it’s quite time consuming but I’m really glad I’ve done it. Five years ago I didn’t think I’d still be playing at this age so I wanted to make sure I was prepared when I finished so I started doing my coaching badges then.”